Fast tracking Phan Thiet airport

BINH THUAN, 20 June 2017: Vietnam’s  Binh Thuan provincial authorities are demanding the construction of the civilian-military Phan Thiet Airport be speeded up to allow it open to commercial traffic next year.

Construction began in 2015 and there are no signs that it can open any time soon.

Local media reported that provincial authorities want the Ministry of Defense to pay compensation to land owners. Of VND135 billion (USD6 million), around VND50 billion (USD2.2 million) has been paid so far. Read more

Cat Bi eyes expansion

HAI PHONG, 20 June 2017: Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam is supporting Hai Phong authorities to accelerate the second phase of the Cat Bi International Airport expansion project.

Local media reported that part of the runway of Cat Bi International Airport has been seriously damaged, forcing airlines to cut flights to the airport.

The runway in question was built in 1996 and after 20 years needs urgent repairs. Read more

HCMC considers new runway

HO CHI MINH CITY, 15 June 2017: Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has called for an urgent study on the feasibility of adding a third runway at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam’s busiest airport.

Tan Son Nhat currently has two runways and there are fears that it needs one more to ensure flights can operate without delays. It handles 32.5 million passengers a year, well in excess of its design capacity of 25 million.

Local media quoted the Prime Minister Phuc saying the possibility of building another runway must be considered. Read more

Ghost trains serve Berlin airport

BERLIN, 7 June 2017: Lufthansa had its planes ready and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was lined up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony — all was in place for the opening of Berlin’s state-of-the-art airport 3 June, 2012.

Except the airport itself.

Five years on, BER airport remains unfinished, shuttered and a byword for fiasco in a country usually better known for its engineering prowess and obsession with punctuality. Read more

UA nonstop LAX to SIN flight

SINGAPORE, 2 June 2017: United Airlines confirmed, Thursday, it will introduce daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles International Airport hub and Singapore’s Changi Airport 27 October.

The flight will set the new distance record for any airline operating to or from the United States, at 8,700 miles.

United’s San Francisco- Singapore flight, established, 1 June 2016, holds the current record for the longest scheduled Boeing Dreamliner 787 flight operated by any airline and is currently the longest scheduled flight operated by any US carrier, at 8,446 miles. Read more

DMK says it can handle floods

BANGKOK, 1 June 2017: Airports of Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport has prepared a flood prevention plan to avoid flight disruptions after the Thai capital was hit by a fresh round of storms over the weekend.

AoT president, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, said in a statement, Tuesday, that in late May, the rainy season in Thailand began in earnest with heavy rain that caused flooding on the highway next to Don Mueang International Airport. Read more

Afghan MPs compromise airline safety

KABUL, 26 May 2017: Supporters of two Afghan MPs who missed a domestic flight from Kabul blocked an airport runway with rocks, forcing the plane to return for the lawmakers, officials said.

The Kam Air flight was abruptly forced to fly back from central Bamiyan province earlier this week, triggering uproar and ridicule on social media with many accusing the lawmakers of abusing their powers.

Five people, including airport security officials, have been arrested over the “illegal diversion”, the interior ministry said Thursday. Read more

Yangon plans shuttle service

YANGON, 25 May 2017: Myanmar authorities are studying the feasibility of an airport-downtown shuttle bus service to make transfers more affordable for independent travellers.

Global New Light of Myanmar reported authorities are studying proposed routes for a shuttle service business between Yangon International Airport and downtown Yangon.

Yangon Region Transport Authorities’ secretary, Maung Aung, was quoted saying that new buses imported from China, would join the city’s bus fleet and could be used for the new service. Read more

AoT reports stronger international traffic

BANGKOK, 25 May 2017: Airports of Thailand reports strong increases during April in both aircraft movements and passenger traffic at the six airports under its management.

AoT reported its data, Tuesday, for all of its supervised airports. They served 11,135,422 passengers up 8.75% from 10,239,610 when compared with the same month last year.

The figures showed 5,508,409 passengers disembarked (+9.10% from 5,048,790); 5,555,984 embarked (+8.54% from 5,118,845) and 71,029 passengers were transiting (-1.31% from 71,975).   Read more

Jetstar Pacific launches China flight

HANOI, 22 May 2017: Jetstar Pacific is flying the Cam Ranh-Guiyang route giving the airline two destinations in China from the Cam Ranh airport gateway.

Jetstar Pacific started the new service, as a scheduled charter, last week, but once traffic is stable it intends operate it as a full-scheduled service.

Cam Ranh International Airport is the gateway to Vietnam’s popular beach resorts on Nha Trang bay. Read more

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